About Us

Through its Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law (SWIICL), The Center for American and International Law has a prominent place in international legal education. Established in 1963, SWIICL offers annual programs that focus on international business transactions and private investments worldwide.

The current Chair of the Institute is Susan Karamanian, Associate Dean of George Washington University Law School.

Annual Programs

The Academy for American and International Law 

The Institute's premier annual event is the Academy of American and International Law. Since 1963, this multi-week program has attracted more than 3,100 participants from 120 countries. Among its alumni are many who have gone on to serve in key government positions (e.g. Prime Minster of Peru and President of the General Assembly of The United Nations), on national supreme courts, as ministers of justice and attorneys general, and as general counsel to major corporations. Through a rigorous classroom and extracurricular schedule, the Academy offers participants the opportunity to forge international relationships that last a lifetime.

Among the Academy’s world-class faculty are Bryan Garner, Editor-in-chief of Black’s Law Dictionary; Georgetown University Law Center professor Charles Gustafson; George Washington University Law School Associate Dean Susan Karamanian; and Stanley Siegel, professor emeritus of New York University School of Law.

Academy Secretary General

Diego Rodriguez
Guerrero, Olivos, Novoa Y Errázuriz
Santiago, Chile

Academy Deputy Secretary Generals

Mary Hennessy
Gordon Dadds LLP
London, United Kingdom

Rodrigo Lepervanche
Hoet Pelaez Castillo & Duque Abogados
Caracas, Venezuela

Symposium on Global Markets

This annual forum is for experienced lawyers, business leaders and government officials and explores current legal issues vital to international business. Begun more than forty years ago, the Symposium has reached thousands of professionals around the world, facilitating understanding about the complex laws and political realities that influence international business relationships.  Recent Symposia have focused on the relationship between in-house and outside counsel; international mergers and acquisitions; and doing business in difficult economic times.

Other Programs

The Institute also hosts programs on corporate compliance, and other international legal issues. In February 2017, it will hold a conference on Mexico-U.S. issues in Queretero, Mexico.